E-tail Warehousing and Storage

Link 51 are not just the UK’s premium storage suppliers, we also spend time understanding our customer’s requirements and reviewing industry trends to lead the way in creating solutions that offer our customers a strategic advantage.

When it comes to helping our e-tail and retail customers find the right storage solutions for their online sales, we have a wealth of experience, a vast range of products that can help store goods of all shapes and sizes, and design expertise that lets us create bespoke systems tailored around the specific needs of each customer’s business.

Our recent ecommerce white paper entitled ‘Taming the E-tail Tiger’ is a review of the current state of play in the online retail sector which discusses the latest developments in delivery, logistics, fulfilment, warehousing, storage and more. Click here or on the red panel to the right to download your copy completely free of charge.

Warehouse take up

Warehouse take-up by retailers is expected to grow by 21% over the next five years, with much of this down to e-tail growth. Statistics such as this, coupled with the decline of many of the UK’s biggest high street brands make it easy to imagine online shopping replacing traditional stores as time progressing – however industry experts now believe while the warehouse is playing an increasingly important and changing role in retail supply chains, it will in fact support a high street presence rather than take its place (and vice-versa) as omni-channel retail practices take hold.

It’s also important to note that when it comes to effective e-tail warehousing, one size does not fit all and bespoke storage solutions can help you meet your operational and strategic goals. This is particularly important when you consider the costs of investing in new property or outsourcing your requirements to a mega footprint e-fulfilment specialist to meet your storage needs.

For example with over 121 million of tonnes of goods passing through UK ports over 2014, many businesses are relocating their warehousing presence to fit in with a port centric solution, which moves away from the traditional model of transporting products to the traditional “golden triangle” for picking, packing and dispatch. These strategies can offer several economic, efficiency and environmental benefits, but require flexible storage systems tailored around the precise requirements of goods being processed to work effectively. Link 51 offer scalable and adjustable Pallet Racking, Shelving Systems and Pick Towers that are ideal for increasing the operational capabilities of any UK warehouse or e-fulfilment centre. Download our e-tail whitepaper to find out more about portcentric strategies.

Maximising warehouse space

One key factor to consider as the e-tail sector develops is making the most of space. Finding the balance between holding enough stock to meet increasing demand but not overstocking and effecting cashflow is a key challenge. Link 51 have helped countless companies in the UK push forward their supply chain logistics by creating storage systems that are tailored to their needs and deliver productivity improvements alongside stock control efficiencies.

Sometimes this might mean providing a Pallet Racking solution for a new large warehouse or fulfilment centre as businesses centralise stock in a single location to cut rental costs – as was the case in our work with the Crosswater Group, or alternatively providing a heavy duty industrial Shelving solution that can optimise floor footprint usage such as our work with Clipper.

Whatever the requirement, Link 51 manufactures products of market leading quality and have the design and planning expertise needed to find a space effective storage system for every project.

Automated storage

Another key factor in effective e-tail warehousing and storage is automation. Leading ecommerce retailers like John Lewis and Amazon have used automated and semi-automated storage systems to great effect in progressing their e-tail operations, as such systems can save time, space and reduce picking errors.

Link 51’s Shuttle Racking is a remote controlled semi-automated warehouse storage solution that carries palletised goods in and out of deep storage lanes. It provides a number of benefits including the maximisation of warehouse space, increased efficiency and that it allows operators to work on other tasks by removing the time associated with manual loading.

Link 51 are members of AMHSA and work closely with manufacturers of automated systems to provide a partnered approach to integrated solutions, which is project managed and delivered safely, on time and to budget whether the requirement is large or small.

Whether your company is a start-up or SME looking to cut e-tail operational costs or a large ‘bricks and mortar business taking its first step into ecommerce – Link 51 have the products and expertise to help with any e-tail warehouse storage needs. Call us on 0800 169 5151 to find out how we can help your business.